*Ye old England had issues, ee ai ee ai oh, and with those issues came the plague, deadliest little plague that you ever did see, and the plague was on the mite, and the mite was on the flea, and the flea was on the rat, and the rat was on the girl, and the girl was on the street, and the street was on the block, and the block was in the city, and the city was in the town, and the sanitary cycle made the plague go round. Now there’s Vampires. Vamp town!*

You like that? It’s original!

Hello my mortal souls, I’m Bethany Griffiths, and this is Beta Test. A game review platform where I – the clearly more vampire-y individual – choose one game a month to go ham on until either I get better or get wrecked. All in the hopes that I can provide you with a completely unbiased review.

Let’s review from where we started off last month shall we? I was sick, I was tired, I was struggling to be awake for more than 10 hours a day. Well, I’m not better, but I’m getting there. I took not one, but two short holidays, and honestly it’s been the best decision I could have made (short of quitting everything I do and living as a hermit in the wilderness of country Victoria…Maybe in six months). I can’t thank the people I went away with more for being the most awesome friends ever. I was swimming, I was sand castle building, I was playing murder in the dark in a two story house with a bunch of 24-30 year olds. There was a cheese platter at one point, and I played so many games! Not only that, but I have shiny new friends? 2019 amirite?

Anyway, you know the drill by now, first I relay my personal life in way too much detail, and then I tell you about video games. So let’s get on with is shall we? Here-a-we go!

This month I played a game that is absolutely a self indulgent guilty pleasure of mine (Vampires). It’s got a fantastic plot line (with Vampires), and the main protagonist is a moody bloke who just wants to be loved (and is a Vampire).

…

Can you see where I’m going with this?

Vampyr, Developed by Dontnod Entertainment, and published by Focus Home Interactive, is a solo player RPG that follows the story of Jonathan E. Reid, a Doctor turned Vampire in plague ridden London. In the midst of the Great War Johnathan uses guise of his Doctor status to work his job in the hospital, while studying his own Vampirism and treating patients that contract a variant of the Spanish flu.

Now, I’ll be real. In the first half an hour I thought I was playing another ‘Batman: the enemy within’. But this game absolutely grew on me. From even a non RPG standpoint, it stylistically trumps Batman’s computer generated comic graphics, and gave me grittier, more substantial game play. Vampyr delivered some very well put together live action sequences, and fight scenarios, along with challenging level ups and the ability to create your own destiny in a more coherent, infinitely more accurate portrayal of the human psyche. It’s not that hard to do, but they nailed it for me. (See Telltale Games! See what you can do if you’re not a dick to everyone!)

Vampyr aims to be a pseudo free world adventure game, where the player chooses the character path through a set of skill trees, and critical choices. This leads the player to feel fulfilled in action, even if the action isn’t game centric. There are various side quests that you can go on to appease the 60 odd inhabitants of war torn London, and hours of alleyways, and hidden corridors to stake out to get the full world experience. The game leans towards more Gothic imagery than horror to set the tone, which I found instantly satisfying. There’s something great about the story telling of any English myth from the 19th to the 21st century that really gets me going, but to see places that feel like you’re going back in time and experiencing the true nature of the universe back then, well, that’s pretty great!

I did notice a few bugs, like jumping into stand alone object and getting trapped, or sitting for a cut away sequence only to not be able to leave the chair. I scoured the forums though, and it looks like there are patches working their way around, so those should be fixed soon. In terms of fight play, the controls (bearing in mind I play PC) were slightly laggy, but overall not that noticeably. My MSI laptop took the game like the little champion it is, so I can only imagine what a desk top with a good CPU and RAM could achieve (*drooling noises* one day).

All in all, I had a great time with Vampyr, and it was a good gateway game to more RPG’s of which I’m sure I’ll be more responsive to in the months to come. I’ve very satisfied with the game on the whole, even with the price tag, and I can’t wait to see what the developers do next.

Because of the sound score, cinematic, and soft horror that I found way more titillating than terrifying, I give this game:

So, my dudes! I’ve been Bethany Griffiths, and this has been a Vampy Beta Test. A game review platform where I either got better or got wrecked. All in the hopes that I can provide you with a completely unbiased review.Until next time,

Two different people from different cultural backgrounds find each other on their own quests; one is seeking a path to riches and glory, while the other is seeking a path to love…

Pocahontas opens with the patriotic song ‘Virginia Company’, showing English settlers getting ready to venture off to find new land. Fast forward to a village of Native Americans peacefully going about their day harvesting food and preparing for the return of the village warriors.

Two diverse worlds that will soon collide.

This is a love story like no other, taking you on a journey of spirituality and emotion. You have Pocahontas (Irene Bedard), who follows her own path and listens to the wind to guide her. And then you have John Smith (Mel Gibson), an adventure-seeking captain who talks of finding gold and fighting ‘Injuns.’

Native American Pocahontas is searching for the right path to follow after her father, Chief Powhatan (Russell Means), tells her that she will marry the village’s best warrior, Kocoum (James Apaumut Fall). Pocahontas feels that she will not be happy with Kocoum because he is too serious and not free spirited like herself. She ventures off into the forest to receive advice from her Grandmother Willow (Linda Hunt)—a talking willow tree. Grandmother Willow tells Pocahontas to listen to the wind (and her heart) to guide her down the path she seeks.

On the other side of the land, Governor Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers) has his crew build ‘Jamestown’ and mine the non-existent gold. John Smith decides to go for a walk and have a look around through the forest to make sure there are no immediate threats to the camp such as ‘savages’. Through this short journey, Smith realises he is not alone and hides behind a waterfall. Curious about the white man she has discovered and wanting to get a closer look, Pocahontas climbs down to the water’s edge, startling Smith, who points his musket right at her. He sees who it is and lowers his gun, mesmerised by her beauty. They are both a little wary of each other but John is the first to break the ice.

As the film progresses, the settlers find out that there are natives living on ‘their’ land and vice versa. Both sides think they are there to cause chaos and mayhem so they keep a watchful eye on one another. However, Pocahontas and Smith begin to fall in love and soon discover, to their surprise, that a war between the natives and the settlers is about to break out. This is their chance to talk the leaders out of any conflict and try a different approach. The Chief reluctantly agrees to Pocahontas’ suggestion but Ratcliffe is suspicious of Smith’s suggestion.

By now, Pocahontas and Smith are deeply in love and share a first kiss. Unfortunately, they were not alone, secretly watched by his friend Thomas (Christian Bale) and by her betrothed Kocoum.

[WARNING: The following scene contains plot spoilers.]

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t choose one of the more obvious love stories like Cinderella (1950) or Beauty and the Beast (1991). Growing up, Pocahontas was one of my favourite Disney films and I never really dreamt of being a princess so the fairy tales didn’t resonate with me.

When this film was released in 1995, it was greeted with mixed reactions. Reviewers said they enjoyed the music and the animation, however criticised the story because it didn’t quite follow the historical tale of Pocahontas. I, for one, like the music, the animation AND the story. The film is unique and the music just sweeps me away to another world—including the songs, which are something special.

There are six songs in the film along with many beautiful scores; all of which are emotional and entertaining in their own way. My favourite songs from the soundtrack would have to be one of the opening titles ‘Steady as a Beating Drum’—the music in this song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it! Another song I enjoy listening to is ‘Just Around the Riverbend’. The lyrics makes me stop and think about my dreams and what course to take, so it definitely creates an emotional feeling within me.

One of the more entertaining tracks is ‘Mine, Mine, Mine’, sung by Governor Ratcliffe (Ogden Stiers) and featuring John Smith (Corey Burton singing for Gibson). Ratcliffe sings of wealth and status hoping he can find gold. Smith then comes in singing about owning the land and the challenges he may face. Both have slightly different goals but essentially state they are after the riches of the country. Listening to this song always makes me chuckle and I tend to sing along to it.

Overall, Pocahontas is a moving film that teaches everyone a lesson on communication, respect, and how violence doesn’t resolve anything. I would recommend this movie to anyone who doesn’t mind their history skewed and loves a little romance. And remember, in order to find the path you seek, you must “…listen with your heart. You will understand.” 4 / 5

GET READY TO QUAKE.

I’m a Wayne Stellini and welcome to FRED Watch, where we review everything from the mainstream to the obscure. Today’s film is the disaster drama Earthquake…

Universal Pictures

When a massive earthquake hits Los Angeles, California, an assortment of people with interlocking stories fight to survive the natural disaster as well as its numerous aftershocks…

1970s Hollywood productions are defined by their large-scale disaster pics and Earthquake, sandwiched in-between Irwin Allen blockbusters The Poseidon Adventure (December 1972) and The Towering Inferno (December 1974), was one of the significant releases.

It follows Allen’s formula insofar as casting established and potential stars playing easily identifiable characters as well as the reliance upon competent special effects and stunt teams (141 members; a record at the time). The film also utilised new audio technology, “Sensurround”, so that audiences would feel as though they were literally in the middle of the action when the titular event and obligatory aftershocks occurred. Such a gimmick becomes immediately redundant when the film is presented away from the big screen and accessed through contemporary digital means.

And this is where the weight of Earthquake rests on Mario Puzo and George Fox‘s script. The characters here are a mixed bag; some are quite engaging (Geneviève Bujold as a single mother and actress) and others are too oddball to be completely accessible (Marjoe Gortner as a military personnel who makes ends meet as a store clerk). Bonus casting are Walter Matthau (beautifully credited as “Walter Matuschanskayasky”) as a barfly and a spunky Victoria Principal sporting one of cinema’s greatest afros.

The central figures are a feuding couple played by a generally good Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner. Because the script was trimmed down, their backstory is never fully explored and thereby the characters, particularly Gardner’s emotionally unstable spoilt brat, fail to truly capture one’s sympathy when their lives are threatened; this is where Earthquake differs greatly to it its two aforementioned superior contemporaries.

And of the titular natural disaster itself… The earthquake lasts for just under eight minutes and is a wonderfully shot and edited sequence. Genuinely thrilling with almost-always believable moments of carnage (sans the elevator shot), the film still holds up relatively well today, but will perhaps be most embraced by fans of the genre.

While by no means the classic is should’ve turned out to be, Earthquake is fun enough to sustain its two-hour gestation. 4 / 5

COURTED BY A KILLER.

I’m a Wayne Stellini and welcome to FRED Watch, where we review everything from the mainstream to the obscure. Today’s TV series is the Netflix documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes…

Netflix

A series of recorded interviews between journalist Stephen Michaud and death row inmate Ted Bundy frames this recounting of the serial killer’s crimes from the mid- to late-1970s, offering insight into the charismatic criminal’s motivations and modus operandi.

As one of the most infamous American serial killers, there is perhaps little that isn’t known about Ted Bundy. His name alone conjures images that praise his aesthetics and acknowledge his intelligence. These qualities often overshadow the thirty-plus young women and girls who lost their lives to a man who saw females as nothing more than ‘merchandise’ and ‘possessions.’

What Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes does particularly well is that it highlights the convicted killer’s charisma, which may feel over-emphasised but is vital to the broader narrative, without ever glorifying him. Through hours of mostly one-sided conversation, Bundy explains and explores his own mentality as well as the crimes he admits to committing.

Fleshing the tapes out are archival footage of and interviews with journalists, law enforcement officials, witnesses, and survivors, illustrating a climate that was fuelled with both fear and intrigue. Bundy’s victims—one of whom was as young as twelve—are presented and discussed in a dignified manner; writer/director Joe Berlinger is never exploitative in his approach to telling this familiar tale.

The draw card here is, of course, hearing from Bundy himself. His reflections on death row as well as his charming interactions with the media and particularly Judge Edward Cowart, whose final words to the condemned killer are quite extraordinary, not only demonstrate the enduring fascination with Bundy but also why he remains one of the United States’s most dangerous criminals on record.